Disneyland in the 1980s. Disneyland Cast Members. The Jungle Cruise. Adventureland. All things Tiki. The world view of a former Cast Member. Other stuff.
[Copyright 2011 by M.S. Kelly; all rights reserved]

Friday, March 26, 2010

Congratulations! You definitely got this one right. The family and I recently visited Disneyland and saw the re-opened Opera House and "The Disneyland® Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln." We at "Jungle is 101" (okay, ME at "Jungle is 101") have long called for Mr. Lincoln's return to Main Street.

Well...he is back.

Fabulously back.

The entire attraction lobby area has been renovated beautifully and spills over into the new Disney Gallery next door. The homage to Disneyland's history that fills the main entrance area of the lobby is well done---with a fabulous model of the Park as it looked on Opening Day, a focal point.

In the large room where the entrance doors to Lincoln Theater are located, you find another gem: a detailed model of the United States Capitol building, complete with tiny lights, windows, columns---the works.

Most importantly, the Lincoln show itself has been redone to great effect. Mr. Lincoln looks downright dapper in his coat and tails. His famously tousled hair is a bit unruly, but not so much as to be a distraction. His eyes are one of the major improvements I noticed. In the past, they were shadowed (intentionally, I would think, since making convincing eyes is one of the trickier elements in animatronics, so keeping them a bit shadowed made them less noticeable). Now, he scans the audience and the eyes are much more visible. The excerpts of his writings and speeches that have been amalgamated for the show still raise hairs and goosebumps. The content of his speech timeless---but amazingly fitting for the times in which we now live.

"At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, that if it ever reach us, it must spring from amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be its authors and finishers. As a nation of free men, we must live through all times, or die by suicide."

Strong words for trying times---be it 1863 or 2010.

My sincere thanks to the folks at Disney for an amazingly well done revamp of this classic attraction. Dear reader, if you have not visited Mr. Lincoln yet, make it a point on your next visit to the Park.